A Birthday Kiss
by chromeknickers
Summary: Ginny had seen him at the bar, laughing with his mates. She didn't even know that he was capable of laughter, or having mates. Dedicated to Draco Malfoy, since it's his birthday today! Happy 30th!


_Dedicated to Draco Malfoy, since it's his birthday today! (June 5th) ^^ Happy 30__th__!_

**A Birthday Kiss**

Ginny had seen him at the bar, laughing with his mates. She didn't even know that he was capable of laughter, or having mates.

She often came to The Gate with the Harpies after a big game, to celebrate. It was a lovely little restaurant, and she loved the Asian dishes à la carte (Mmm, Dim Sum). Plus, after hours, the crowd really picked up, and usually some relatively attractive bloke would often buy her drinks.

The boys in the corner grew louder and more obnoxious. It was almost midnight, and the tiny bar had subtly transformed into a booming club. By the looks of the cake and the ridiculous amounts of liquor at his table, Ginny had surmised that it was his birthday. At least, that's what they kept shouting as they bought him round after round of whatever expensive liquor he was sampling. Actually, he was doing a lot more than sampling. He was getting sloshed.

Getting properly smashed didn't dissuade him from occasionally glancing over at her table and trying to capture her attention. This act, in itself, was odd, but what was even more peculiar was that when he did catch her eye, he'd smile at her. _Smile_. If Ginny didn't know who he _truly_ was, she'd find it attractive and charming—okay, she still found his smile attractive and charming, despite knowing who he was.

What really made her curious, however, was the fact that he and his lot had come out to a Muggle bar to celebrate. He didn't seem the type to roam the streets of Muggle London let alone visit a small restaurant like this one. And of all the bars in London, he came to the one that she was at. And _why_ did he keep looking over at her, smiling? It unnerved her.

Disturbed or not, Ginny thought it best not to dwell upon him, so she decided to resume her mingling. After a few more hours of dancing and drinking, she finally bid her teammates adieu and headed towards the tube station.

Ginny always took the train after a late night at the bar. She never liked to Apparate whilst intoxicated. She was deeply terrified of Splinching, and she preferred all her limbs to be _attached _to her body.

The heels of her shoes clicked along the cobblestone as she made her way into the station. For a long time there was nothing but silence, until another set of footsteps, fast approaching, echoed down the tube.

"Hey, Weasley!" a voice yelled from behind her. (Well, it sounded more like 'Eh, Wheelly!')

Ginny turned to see an extremely inebriated Draco Malfoy staggering towards her. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, and he stopped short in front of her.

The blond sniffed arrogantly and cleared his throat, drawing himself up to full height, which was quite considerable in comparison to her petite frame.

"Hullo," he said awkwardly, swaying slightly on his feet. He seemed uncomfortable to be there, yet he also appeared rather confident and jovial.

She was about to open her mouth to issue a scathing retort when something small and black caught the corner of her eye. She promptly walked past him and headed to a trash bin, just inside the tube. A knowing smile crept onto her lips as she bent down to pick up the familiar object.

With the item in hand, she turned around to see Draco scowling at her, obviously upset at her lack of decorum. He finally walked over to where she stood, seemingly intent on finding out what exactly was more interesting than him.

"What's that?" he asked, eyeing the small object with a frown.

It was a black ball with a white circle in the middle, labelled with the number eight.

"It's a Magic 8 Ball," Ginny answered absently, twirling the toy in her palm. "Hermione showed me one once…" She paused and then looked up at him coyly through her lashes. "Want to try it out?"

Ginny knew that a 'Magic' 8 Ball was anything _but_ magical. Hermione had brought one to the Burrow during a Christmas holiday, long ago. The twins immediately gravitated towards it, trying to come up with numerous spells in which they could manipulate the device for comedic purposes.

"Magic?" Draco asked sceptically, his frown deepening. He then held out his hand, impatient to receive the item for examination.

"One sec," Ginny said as she turned her back to him. "I just need to wipe off the dirt."

Ginny stealthily took out her wand and pointed it at the toy, whispering a spell that she had learnt from Fred. She then pocketed her wand and turned around to come face-to-face with Draco, who was too drunk to realise what Ginny hand done.

Normally, a Muggle Magic 8 Ball would just give standard answers, such as 'yes', 'no', or 'maybe'. Occasionally there would be a 'not likely' or 'it's a definite possibility', but nothing detailed or humorous. Fred and George, however, saw to this right away and created numerous spells to change the responses of a Magic 8 Ball, so that it made fun of the person asking the question. Once Ginny saw the discarded novelty toy, she had decided that this was _exactly_ what the birthday boy needed, to knock him down a few pegs.

Draco snapped his fingers impatiently, and Ginny handed over the toy with a smile on her freckled face.

"So what do I do?" he asked with a slight slur in his voice. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the ball.

"You ask it a question and then shake it," Ginny answered patiently. "Your answer will appear at the top." She pointed to the small window.

Draco fingered his blond fringe, pushing it from his eyes, and stared at Ginny askance. "So it's like a mystic, a fortune-teller then?"

Ginny nodded her head. "Yes, ask it whatever you'd like to know, and it will give you the _correct_ answer."

Draco stood up straight and rested the ball against his chest. "Oh, what question should I ask?" He waggled an eyebrow at her.

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "Ask whatever you like."

"Whatever I'd _like_, eh?" A devilishly handsome grin spread across his face, and he rubbed the ball against his chest, as if for good luck. "Will Weasley come over to my place and offer me a birthday shag?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and let out a snort of disgust.

At this, Draco's grin widened, and he shook the toy. He then glanced down at the window, watching the small white dice rise to the clouded surface.

"Not likely," he read slowly. "You're a degenerate creature of darkness."

Draco's head snapped up, and he glared at Ginny, who was biting down on her bottom lip, trying her best not to laugh aloud.

He growled. "This stupid magic ball doesn't know anything!"

The womanly pout that he sported on his aristocratic face pushed Ginny over the edge, and she doubled over in laughter.

"Want to ask it another question?" Ginny asked after a minute of non-stop giggling.

Draco stared down at Ginny, who was wiping tears from her eyes, with obvious annoyance etched across his face.

"No," he sulked and looked down at the toy with disgust.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, still hiccupping with laughter. "Maybe you should ask _why_ you're a degenerate creature of darkness."

Draco shook his head and casually threw the ball over his shoulder. "I already know why," he answered tersely. "I think it was just trying to tell me that I should start off slow with you."

Ginny put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." He reached over and grabbed her by the waist, bringing her in close. "Maybe I should just settle for a snog in the tube station—it's nice and dark here for a degenerate creature of darkness like myself."

Before she could object, his lips were already on hers. They were warm and soft, and she absently envied the fullness of them. His large hands held onto the sides of her face, and then his fingers slid up into her hair, tilting her head back so he could deepen the kiss.

His tongue then entreated entrance, and she permitted, parting her mouth to receive. He tasted of Firewhiskey and chocolate and something indefinably male. Her mind began to swim, as though intoxicated by his kiss. The act itself wasn't artful, but it was demanding and thorough and passionate. When he released her, she felt herself leaning forward expectantly, eyes closed.

She could hear him chuckle, and she opened her eyes in shock. His facial expression was hard to read, as he was only inches from her. He trailed his long fingers down her jaw until they met her lips, swollen from their kiss.

"So how did you like slumming with a degenerate creature of darkness?" he asked in a husky voice, sending shivers down her spine. His fingers lingered on her lips, as did his gaze. "You think you'd do it again, Weasley?"

Ginny bit her lip and brought her fingers to his chin, lifting it so that his mercurial eyes met her amber-coloured ones.

"It's a definite possibility."

* * *

**A/N:** This is the expanded version of the Magic 8 Ball challenge (Chapter 6 of the Fire and Ice Drabbles). ^_^


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